Online learning has increased significantly. Online learning may be able to reduce or mitigate barriers to higher education that students from low socio-economic status (SES) and/or regional, rural and remote (RRR) backgrounds might experience. Using Tasmanian data, this report outlines how a lack of pedagogical support for students studying online disproportionately impacts on students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including lower course completion rates and a reduced sense of place and belonging.

The report provides recommendations aimed at teachers of online and blended subjects, university leaderships and policymakers. It provides a toolkit with a range of online pedagogical tools and strategies that can foster social and cognitive engagement. 

Key findings

• Low SES and RRR students can have multiple associated challenges, but with the right pedagogical support, these students can achieve outcomes as positive as their online peers. 
• Creating a sense of belonging and of (virtual) place can support these students’ social integration into university life.
• Online pedagogical designs differed significantly between disciplines and individual subjects. 
• Overall, low SES and RRR students thrive in online learning when they are provided with pedagogical support that recognises their needs and is embedded in a whole of institution support system.

Key recommendations

• Teachers should learn about the characteristics and needs of their learner cohorts and continuously inform their pedagogy by reflecting on what students say they need.
• As access expands and cohorts become more diverse, institutions should align support and resources to match the needs of the cohort and staff supporting them.
• Institutions should have more preventative approaches in supporting equity students and identifying at-risk students.
• Institutions should explore ways to understand and track students’ social presence / engagement in online learning.
• Universities should prioritise improving online pedagogies and fostering interactive and socially engaging virtual environments and how student from various equity groups respond to these.